Tristram Of Lyonesse - Viii - The Last Pilgrimage Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDDEF GGHHIIJJKKLLMMNNOOPP QQRRJJSSTTUUVVWXYYZZ UUA2A2 B2B2C2C2FFD2D2E2E2F2 F2G2G2H2H2I2I2JJKKJ2 K2C2C2FFL2L2L2 M2M2AAAN2N2O2O2P2P2F FQ2Q2R2R2FFS2S2G2G2T 2T2U2U2RRRS2S2S2C2C2 FFV2V2V2W2W2KKF2F2F2 RRRFFFX2X2AAACCD2D2D 2Y2Y2Y2Z2Z2Z2A3A3B3C 3C3G2G2H2H2VVFFAAX2X 2KKVVKKVVD3D3H2H2AAE 3E3FFFF3F3G3G3H3H3KK RRI3I3J3J3FFW2W2K3K3 L3L3L3S2S2S2V2V2V2M3 M3N3N3N3N3N3AAAA3O3W 2W2FFFAAAN3N3D2D2D2U USSSP3P3P3AAUUUGGAAA Q3Q3L3L3L3UUUFFR3R3G 2G2FFVV H2H2YYM3N3M3N3N3N3PP S3IN3N3N3Q3Q3AAAGGT3 T3U3U3AA AAAAAC2C2M3M3C2C2AAA ANNAAG2G2FFR3R3FFAAA N3N3V3V3W2W2C2C2FFUU N3 N3W3W3AAAAAAR3R3R3W2 W2W2CCAAN3N3A ANNL3L3FFCCAAL3L3L3L 3H2H2N3N3FFL3L3N3N3A AA N3N3L3L3AAAFFL3L3OON NX3X3AAU3U3N3N3G2G2F FSSAAAAAAAAN3N3AAAAA AD2D2G2G2AAN2N2NNFFL 3L3AAN3N3U3U3FFAAN3N 3AAY3Y3AAAAN3N3FFN3N 3AAAAN3N3AAN3N3FFG2G 2C2C2W2W2FFAAZ3Z3D2D 2D2L3L3AAN3N3N3N3AAA FFAAAAAAFFN3N3AAL3L3 NNN3N3N3N3M3M3L3L3N3 N3N3N3N3N3L3L3L3L3L3 L3L3 L3L3L3L3L3L3L3C2C2FF L3L3L3L3W2W2L3L3L3L3 L3L3L3L3W2W2C2C2FFL3 L3L3L3FFL3L3L3L3N3N3 H2H2A4A4L3L3L3L3NNFF FFL3L3L3L3N3N3N3N3W2 W2L3L3N3N3L3L3L3L3I2 I2L3L3

Enough of ease O Love enough of light	A
Enough of rest before the shadow of night	A
Strong Love whom death finds feebler kingly Love	B
Whom time discrowns in season seeing thy dove	B
Spell stricken by the serpent for thy sake	C
These that saw light see night's dawn only break	C
Night's cup filled up with slumber whence men think	D
The draught more dread than thine was dire to drink	D
O Love thy day sets darkling hope and fear	E
Fall from thee standing stern as death stands here	F
	-
For what have these to do with fear or hope	G
On whom the gates of outer darkness ope	G
On whom the door of life's desire is barred	H
Past like a cloud their days in Joyous Gard	H
Gleam like a cloud the westering sun stains red	I
Till all the blood of day's blithe heart be bled	I
And all night's heart requickened in their eyes	J
So flame and fade those far memorial skies	J
So shines the moorland so revives the sea	K
Whereon they gazing mused of things to be	K
And wist not more of them than waters know	L
What wind with next day's change of tide shall blow	L
Dark roll the deepening days whose waves divide	M
Unseasonably with storm struck change of tide	M
Tristram from Iseult nor may sorrow say	N
If better wind shall blow than yesterday	N
With next day risen or any day to come	O
For ere the songs of summer's death fell dumb	O
And autumn bade the imperial moorlands change	P
Their purples and the bracken's bloom grow strange	P
As hope's green blossom touched with time's harsh rust	Q
Was all their joy of life shaken to dust	Q
And all its fire made ashes by the strand	R
Where late they strayed and communed hand from hand	R
For the last time fell separate eyes of eyes	J
Took for the last time leave and saw the skies	J
Dark with their deep division The last time	S
The last that ever love's rekindling rhyme	S
Should keep for them life's days and nights in tune	T
With refluence of the morning and the moon	T
Alternative in music and make one	U
The secrets of the stardawn and the sun	U
For these twain souls ere darkness held them fast	V
The last before the labour marked for last	V
And toil of utmost knighthood till the wage	W
Of rest might crown his crowning pilgrimage	X
Whereon forth faring must he take farewell	Y
With spear for staff and sword for scallop shell	Y
And scrip wherein close memory hoarded yet	Z
Things holier held than death might well forget	Z
The last time ere the travel were begun	U
Whose goal is unbeholden of the sun	U
The last wherewith love's eyes might yet be lit	A2
Came and they could but dream they knew not it	A2
	-
For Tristram parting from her wist at heart	B2
How well she wist they might not choose but part	B2
And he pass forth a pilgrim when there came	C2
A sound of summons in the high king's name	C2
For succour toward his vassal Triamour	F
King in wild Wales now spoiled of all his power	F
As Tristram's father ere his fair son's birth	D2
By one the strongest of the sons of earth	D2
Urgan an iron bulk of giant mould	E2
And Iseult in Tintagel as of old	E2
Sat crowned with state and sorrow for her lord	F2
At Arthur's hand required her back restored	F2
And willingly compelled against her will	G2
She yielded saying within her own soul still	G2
Some season yet of soft or stormier breath	H2
Should haply give her life again or death	H2
For now nor quick nor dead nor bright nor dark	I2
Were all her nights and days wherein King Mark	I2
Held haggard watch upon her and his eyes	J
Were cloudier than the gradual wintering skies	J
That closed about the wan wild land and sea	K
And bitter toward him waxed her heart but he	K
Was rent in twain betwixt harsh love and hate	J2
With pain and passion half compassionate	K2
That yearned and laboured to be quit of shame	C2
And could not and his life grew smouldering flame	C2
And hers a cloud full charged with storm and shower	F
Though touched with trembling gleams of fire's bright flower	F
That flashed and faded on its fitful verge	L2
As hope would strive with darkness and emerge	L2
And sink a swimmer strangled by the swallowing surge	L2
	-
But Tristram by dense hills and deepening vales	M2
Rode through the wild glad wastes of glorious Wales	M2
High hearted with desire of happy fight	A
And strong in soul with merrier sense of might	A
Than since the fair first years that hailed him knight	A
For all his will was toward the war so long	N2
Had love repressed and wrought his glory wrong	N2
So far the triumph and so fair the praise	O2
Seemed now that kindled all his April days	O2
And here in bright blown autumn while his life	P2
Was summer's yet for strength toward love or strife	P2
Blithe waxed his hope toward battle and high desire	F
To pluck once more as out of circling fire	F
Fame the broad flower whose breath makes death more sweet	Q2
Than roses crushed by love's receding feet	Q2
But all the lovely land wherein he went	R2
The blast of ruin and ravenous war had rent	R2
And black with fire the fields where homesteads were	F
And foul with festering dead the high soft air	F
And loud with wail of women many a stream	S2
Whose own live song was like love's deepening dream	S2
Spake all against the spoiler wherefore still	G2
Wrath waxed with pity quickening all his will	G2
In Tristram's heart for every league he rode	T2
Through the aching land so broad a curse bestrode	T2
With so supreme a shadow till one dawn	U2
Above the green bloom of a gleaming lawn	U2
High on the strait steep windy bridge that spanned	R
A glen's deep mouth he saw that shadow stand	R
Visible sword on thigh and mace in hand	R
Vast as the mid bulk of a roof tree's beam	S2
So sheer above the wild wolf haunted stream	S2
Dire as the face disfeatured of a dream	S2
Rose Urgan and his eyes were night and flame	C2
But like the fiery dawn were his that came	C2
Against him lit with more sublime desire	F
Than lifts toward heaven the leaping heart of fire	F
And strong in vantage of his perilous place	V2
The huge high presence red as earth's first race	V2
Reared like a reed the might up of his mace	V2
And smote but lightly Tristram swerved and drove	W2
Right in on him whose void stroke only clove	W2
Air and fell wide thundering athwart and he	K
Sent forth a stormier cry than wind or sea	K
When midnight takes the tempest for her lord	F2
And all the glen's throat seemed as hell's that roared	F2
But high like heaven's light over hell shone Tristram's sword	F2
Falling and bright as storm shows God's bare brand	R
Flashed as it shore sheer off the huge right hand	R
Whose strength was as the shadow of death on all that land	R
And like the trunk of some grim tree sawn through	F
Reeled Urgan as his left hand grasped and drew	F
A steel by sorcerers tempered and anew	F
Raged the red wind of fluctuant fight till all	X2
The cliffs were thrilled as by the clangorous call	X2
Of storm's blown trumpets from the core of night	A
Charging and even as with the storm wind's might	A
On Tristram's helm that sword crashed and the knight	A
Fell and his arms clashed and a wide cry brake	C
From those far off that heard it for his sake	C
Soul stricken and that bulk of monstrous birth	D2
Sent forth again a cry more dire for mirth	D2
But ere the sunbright arms were soiled of earth	D2
They flashed again re risen and swift and loud	Y2
Rang the strokes out as from a circling cloud	Y2
So dense the dust wrought over them its drifted shroud	Y2
Strong strokes within the mist their battle made	Z2
Each hailed on other through the shifting shade	Z2
That clung about them hurtling as the swift fight swayed	Z2
And each between the jointed corslet saw	A3
Break forth his foe's bright blood at each grim flaw	A3
Steel made in hammered iron till again	B3
The fiend put forth his might more strong for pain	C3
And cleft the great knight's glittering shield in twain	C3
Laughing for very wrath and thirst to kill	G2
A beast's broad laugh of blind and wolfish will	G2
And smote again ere Tristram's lips drew breath	H2
Panting and swept as by the sense of death	H2
That surely should have touched and sealed them fast	V
Save that the sheer stroke shrilled aside and passed	V
Frustrate but answering Tristram smote anew	F
And thrust the brute breast as with lightning through	F
Clean with one cleaving stroke of perfect might	A
And violently the vast bulk leapt upright	A
And plunged over the bridge and fell and all	X2
The cliffs reverberate from his monstrous fall	X2
Rang and the land by Tristram's grace was free	K
So with high laud and honour thence went he	K
And southward set his sail again and passed	V
The lone land's ending first beheld and last	V
Of eyes that look on England from the sea	K
And his heart mourned within him knowing how she	K
Whose heart with his was fatefully made fast	V
Sat now fast bound as though some charm were cast	V
About her such a brief space eastward thence	D3
And yet might soul not break the bonds of sense	D3
And bring her to him in very life and breath	H2
More than had this been even the sea of death	H2
That washed between them and its wide sweet light	A
The dim strait's darkness of the narrowing night	A
That shuts about men dying whose souls put forth	E3
To pierce its passage through but south and north	E3
Alike for him were other than they were	F
For all the northward coast shone smooth and fair	F
And off its iron cliffs the keen edged air	F
Blew summer kindling from her mute bright mouth	F3
But winter breathed out of the murmuring south	F3
Where pale with wrathful watch on passing ships	G3
The lone wife lay in wait with wan dumb lips	G3
Yet sailing where the shoreward ripple curled	H3
Of the most wild sweet waves in all the world	H3
His soul took comfort even for joy to see	K
The strong deep joy of living sun and sea	K
The large deep love of living sea and land	R
As past the lonely lion guarded strand	R
Where the huge warder lifts his couchant sides	I3
Asleep above the sleepless lapse of tides	I3
The light sail swept and past the unsounded caves	J3
Unsearchable wherein the pulse of waves	J3
Throbs through perpetual darkness to and fro	F
And the blind night swims heavily below	F
While heavily the strong noon broods above	W2
Even to the very bay whence very Love	W2
Strong daughter of the giant gods who wrought	K3
Sun earth and sea out of their procreant thought	K3
Most meetly might have risen and most divine	L3
Beheld and heard things round her sound and shine	L3
From floors of foam and gold to walls of serpentine	L3
For splendid as the limbs of that supreme	S2
Incarnate beauty through men's visions gleam	S2
Whereof all fairest things are even but shadow or dream	S2
And lovely like as Love's own heavenliest face	V2
Gleams there and glows the presence and the grace	V2
Even of the mother of all in perfect pride of place	V2
For otherwhere beneath our world wide sky	M3
There may not be beheld of men that die	M3
Aught else like this that dies not nor may stress	N3
Of ages that bow down men's works make less	N3
The exultant awe that clothes with power its loveliness	N3
For who sets eye thereon soever knows	N3
How since these rocks and waves first rolled and rose	N3
The marvel of their many coloured might	A
Hath borne this record sensible to sight	A
The witness and the symbol of their own delight	A
The gospel graven of life's most heavenly law	A3
Joy brooding on its own still soul with awe	O3
A sense of godlike rest in godlike strife	W2
The sovereign conscience of the spirit of life	W2
Nor otherwhere on strand or mountain tower	F
Hath such fair beauty shining forth in flower	F
Put on the imperial robe of such imperious power	F
For all the radiant rocks from depth to height	A
Burn with vast bloom of glories blossom bright	A
As though the sun's own hand had thrilled them through with light	A
And stained them through with splendour yet from thence	N3
Such awe strikes rapture through the spirit of sense	N3
From all the inaccessible sea wall's girth	D2
That exultation bright at heart as mirth	D2
Bows deeper down before the beauty of earth	D2
Than fear may bow down ever nor shall one	U
Who meets at Alpine dawn the mounting sun	U
On heights too high for many a wing to climb	S
Be touched with sense of aught seen more sublime	S
Than here smiles high and sweet in face of heaven and time	S
For here the flower of fire the soft hoar bloom	P3
Of springtide olive woods the warm green gloom	P3
Of clouded seas that swell and sound with dawn of doom	P3
The keen thwart lightning and the wan grey light	A
Of stormy sunrise crossed and vexed with night	A
Flash loom and laugh with divers hues in one	U
From all the curved cliff's face till day be done	U
Against the sea's face and the gazing sun	U
And whensoever a strong wave high in hope	G
Sweeps up some smooth slant breadth of stone aslope	G
That glowed with duskier fire of hues less bright	A
Swift as it sweeps back springs to sudden sight	A
The splendour of the moist rock's fervent light	A
Fresh as from dew of birth when time was born	Q3
Out of the world conceiving womb of morn	Q3
All its quenched flames and darkling hues divine	L3
Leap into lustrous life and laugh and shine	L3
And darken into swift and dim decline	L3
For one brief breath's space till the next wave run	U
Right up and ripple down again undone	U
And leave it to be kissed and kindled of the sun	U
And all these things bright as they shone before	F
Man first set foot on earth or sail from shore	F
Rose not less radiant than the sun sees now	R3
When the autumn sea was cloven of Tristram's prow	R3
And strong in sorrow and hope and woful will	G2
That hope might move not nor might sorrow kill	G2
He held his way back toward the wild sad shore	F
Whence he should come to look on these no more	F
Nor ever save with sunless eyes shut fast	V
Sail home to sleep in home born earth at last	V
	-
And all these things fled fleet as light or breath	H2
Past and his heart waxed cold and dull as death	H2
Or swelled but as the tides of sorrow swell	Y
To sink with sullen sense of slow farewell	Y
So surely seemed the silence even to sigh	M3
Assurance of inveterate prophecy	N3
Thou shalt not come again home hither ere thou die	M3
And the wind mourned and triumphed and the sea	N3
Wailed and took heart and trembled nor might he	N3
Hear more of comfort in their speech or see	N3
More certitude in all the waste world's range	P
Than the only certitude of death and change	P
And as the sense and semblance fluctuated	S3
Of all things heard and seen alive or dead	I
That smote far off upon his ears or eyes	N3
Or memory mixed with forecasts fain to rise	N3
And fancies faint as ghostliest prophecies	N3
So seemed his own soul changefully forlorn	Q3
To shrink and triumph and mount up and mourn	Q3
Yet all its fitful waters clothed with night	A
Lost heart not wholly lacked not wholly light	A
Seeing over life and death one star in sight	A
Where evening's gates as fair as morning's ope	G
Whose name was memory but whose flame was hope	G
For all the tides of thought that rose and sank	T3
Felt its fair strength wherefrom strong sorrow shrank	T3
A mightier trust than time could change or cloy	U3
More strong than sorrow more secure than joy	U3
So came he nor content nor all unblest	A
Back to the grey old land of Merlin's rest	A
	-
But ere six paces forth on shore he trod	A
Before him stood a knight with feet unshod	A
And kneeling called upon him as on God	A
Might sick men call for pity praying aloud	A
With hands held up and head made bare and bowed	A
Tristram for God's love and thine own dear fame	C2
I Tristram that am one with thee in name	C2
And one in heart with all that praise thee I	M3
Most woful man of all that may not die	M3
For heartbreak and the heavier scourge of shame	C2
By all thy glory done our woful name	C2
Beseech thee called of all men gentlest knight	A
Be now not slow to do my sorrows right	A
I charge thee for thy fame's sake through this land	A
I pray thee by thine own wife's fair white hand	A
Have pity of me whose love is borne away	N
By one that makes of poor men's lives his prey	N
A felon masked with knighthood at his side	A
Seven brethren hath he night or day to ride	A
With seven knights more that wait on all his will	G2
And here at hand ere yet one day fulfil	G2
Its flight through light and darkness shall they fare	F
Forth and my bride among them whom they bear	F
Through these wild lands his prisoner and if now	R3
I lose her and my prayer be vain and thou	R3
Less fain to serve love's servants than of yore	F
Then surely shall I see her face no more	F
But if thou wilt for love's sake of the bride	A
Who lay most loved of women at thy side	A
Strike with me straight then hence behoves us ride	A
And rest between the moorside and the sea	N3
Where we may smite them passing but for me	N3
Poor stranger me not worthy scarce to touch	V3
Thy kind strong hand how shouldst thou do so much	V3
For now lone left this long time waits thy wife	W2
And lacks her lord and light of wedded life	W2
Whilst thou far off art famous yet thy fame	C2
If thou take pity on me that bear thy name	C2
Unworthily but by that name implore	F
Thy grace how shall not even thy fame grow more	F
But be thy will as God's among us done	U
Who art far in fame above us as the sun	U
Yet only of him have all men help and grace	N3
	-
And all the lordly light of Tristram's face	N3
Was softened as the sun's in kindly spring	W3
Nay then may God send me as evil a thing	W3
When I give ear not to such prayers he said	A
And make my place among the nameless dead	A
When I put back one hour the time to smite	A
And do the unrighteous griefs of good men right	A
Behold I will not enter in nor rest	A
Here in mine own halls till this piteous quest	A
Find end ere noon to morrow but do thou	R3
Whose sister's face I may not look on now	R3
Go Ganhardine with tiding of the vow	R3
That bids me turn aside for one day's strife	W2
Or live dishonoured all my days of life	W2
And greet for me in brother's wise my wife	W2
And crave her pardon that for knighthood's sake	C
And womanhood's whose bands may no man break	C
And keep the bands of bounden honour fast	A
I seek not her till two nights yet be past	A
And this my quest accomplished so God please	N3
By me to give this young man's anguish ease	N3
And on his wrongdoer's head his wrong requite	A
	-
And Tristram with that woful thankful knight	A
Rode by the seaside moorland wastes away	N
Between the quickening night and darkening day	N
Ere half the gathering stars had heart to shine	L3
And lightly toward his sister Ganhardine	L3
Sped where she sat and gazed alone afar	F
Above the grey sea for the sunset star	F
And lightly kissed her hand and lightly spake	C
His tiding of that quest for knighthood's sake	C
And the white handed Iseult bowing her head	A
Gleamed on him with a glance athwart and said	A
As God's on earth and far above the sun	L3
So toward his handmaid be my lord's will done	L3
And doubts too dim to question or divine	L3
Touched as with shade the spirit of Ganhardine	L3
Hearing and scarce for half a doubtful breath	H2
His bright light heart held half a thought of death	H2
And knew not whence this darkling thought might be	N3
But surely not his sister's work for she	N3
Was ever sweet and good as summer air	F
And soft as dew when all the night is fair	F
And gracious as the golden maiden moon	L3
When darkness craves her blessing so full soon	L3
His mind was light again as leaping waves	N3
Nor dreamed that hers was like a field of graves	N3
Where no man's foot dares swerve to left or right	A
Nor ear dares hearken nor dares eye take sight	A
Of aught that moves and murmurs there at night	A
	-
But by the sea banks where at morn their foes	N3
Might find them lay those knightly name fellows	N3
One sick with grief of heart and sleepless one	L3
With heart of hope triumphant as the sun	L3
Dreaming asleep of love and fame and fight	A
But sleep at last wrapped warm the wan young knight	A
And Tristram with the first pale windy light	A
Woke ere the sun spake summons and his ear	F
Caught the sea's call that fired his heart to hear	F
A noise of waking waters for till dawn	L3
The sea was silent as a mountain lawn	L3
When the wind speaks not and the pines are dumb	O
And summer takes her fill ere autumn come	O
Of life more soft than slumber but ere day	N
Rose and the first beam smote the bounding bay	N
Up sprang the strength of the dark East and took	X3
With its wide wings the waters as they shook	X3
And hurled them huddling on aheap and cast	A
The full sea shoreward with a great glad blast	A
Blown from the heart of morning and with joy	U3
Full souled and perfect passion as a boy	U3
That leaps up light to wrestle with the sea	N3
For pure heart's gladness and large ecstasy	N3
Up sprang the might of Tristram and his soul	G2
Yearned for delight within him and waxed whole	G2
As a young child's with rapture of the hour	F
That brought his spirit and all the world to flower	F
And all the bright blood in his veins beat time	S
To the wind's clarion and the water's chime	S
That called him and he followed it and stood	A
On the sand's verge before the grey great flood	A
Where the white hurtling heads of waves that met	A
Rose unsaluted of the sunrise yet	A
And from his heart's root outward shot the sweet	A
Strong joy that thrilled him to the hands and feet	A
Filling his limbs with pleasure and glad might	A
And his soul drank the immeasurable delight	A
That earth drinks in with morning and the free	N3
Limitless love that lifts the stirring sea	N3
When on her bare bright bosom as a bride	A
She takes the young sun perfect in his pride	A
Home to his place with passion and the heart	A
Trembled for joy within the man whose part	A
Was here not least in living and his mind	A
Was rapt abroad beyond man's meaner kind	A
And pierced with love of all things and with mirth	D2
Moved to make one with heaven and heavenlike earth	D2
And with the light live water So awhile	G2
He watched the dim sea with a deepening smile	G2
And felt the sound and savour and swift flight	A
Of waves that fled beneath the fading night	A
And died before the darkness like a song	N2
With harps between and trumpets blown along	N2
Through the loud air of some triumphant day	N
Sink through his spirit and purge all sense away	N
Save of the glorious gladness of his hour	F
And all the world about to break in flower	F
Before the sovereign laughter of the sun	L3
And he ere night's wide work lay all undone	L3
As earth from her bright body casts off night	A
Cast off his raiment for a rapturous fight	A
And stood between the sea's edge and the sea	N3
Naked and godlike of his mould as he	N3
Whose swift foot's sound shook all the towers of Troy	U3
So clothed with might so girt upon with joy	U3
As ere the knife had shorn to feed the fire	F
His glorious hair before the unkindled pyre	F
Whereon the half of his great heart was laid	A
Stood in the light of his live limbs arrayed	A
Child of heroic earth and heavenly sea	N3
The flower of all men scarce less bright than he	N3
If any of all men latter born might stand	A
Stood Tristram silent on the glimmering strand	A
Not long but with a cry of love that rang	Y3
As from a trumpet golden mouthed he sprang	Y3
As toward a mother's where his head might rest	A
Her child rejoicing toward the strong sea's breast	A
That none may gird nor measure and his heart	A
Sent forth a shout that bade his lips not part	A
But triumphed in him silent no man's voice	N3
No song no sound of clarions that rejoice	N3
Can set that glory forth which fills with fire	F
The body and soul that have their whole desire	F
Silent and freer than birds or dreams are free	N3
Take all their will of all the encountering sea	N3
And toward the foam he bent and forward smote	A
Laughing and launched his body like a boat	A
Full to the sea breach and against the tide	A
Struck strongly forth with amorous arms made wide	A
To take the bright breast of the wave to his	N3
And on his lips the sharp sweet minute's kiss	N3
Given of the wave's lip for a breath's space curled	A
And pure as at the daydawn of the world	A
And round him all the bright rough shuddering sea	N3
Kindled as though the world were even as he	N3
Heart stung with exultation of desire	F
And all the life that moved him seemed to aspire	F
As all the sea's life toward the sun and still	G2
Delight within him waxed with quickening will	G2
More smooth and strong and perfect as a flame	C2
That springs and spreads till each glad limb became	C2
A note of rapture in the tune of life	W2
Live music mild and keen as sleep and strife	W2
Till the sweet change that bids the sense grow sure	F
Of deeper depth and purity more pure	F
Wrapped him and lapped him round with clearer cold	A
And all the rippling green grew royal gold	A
Between him and the far sun's rising rim	Z3
And like the sun his heart rejoiced in him	Z3
And brightened with a broadening flame of mirth	D2
And hardly seemed its life a part of earth	D2
But the life kindled of a fiery birth	D2
And passion of a new begotten son	L3
Between the live sea and the living sun	L3
And mightier grew the joy to meet full faced	A
Each wave and mount with upward plunge and taste	A
The rapture of its rolling strength and cross	N3
Its flickering crown of snows that flash and toss	N3
Like plumes in battle's blithest charge and thence	N3
To match the next with yet more strenuous sense	N3
Till on his eyes the light beat hard and bade	A
His face turn west and shoreward through the glad	A
Swift revel of the waters golden clad	A
And back with light reluctant heart he bore	F
Across the broad backed rollers in to shore	F
Strong spirited for the chance and cheer of fight	A
And donned his arms again and felt the might	A
In all his limbs rejoice for strength and praised	A
God for such life as that whereon he gazed	A
And wist not surely its joy was even as fleet	A
As that which laughed and lapsed against his feet	A
The bright thin grey foam blossom glad and hoar	F
That flings its flower along the flowerless shore	F
On sand or shingle and still with sweet strange snows	N3
As where one great white storm dishevelled rose	N3
May rain her wild leaves on a windy land	A
Strews for long leagues the sounding slope of strand	A
And flower on flower falls flashing and anew	L3
A fresh light leaps up whence the last flash flew	L3
And casts its brief glad gleam of life away	N
To fade not flowerwise but as drops the day	N
Storm smitten when at once the dark devours	N3
Heaven and the sea and earth with all their flowers	N3
No star in heaven on earth no rose to see	N3
But the white blown brief blossoms of the sea	N3
That make her green gloom starrier than the sky	M3
Dance yet before the tempest's tune and die	M3
And all these things he glanced upon and knew	L3
How fair they shone from earth's least flake of dew	L3
To stretch of seas and imminence of skies	N3
Unwittingly with unpresageful eyes	N3
For the last time The world's half heavenly face	N3
The music of the silence of the place	N3
The confluence and the refluence of the sea	N3
The wind's note ringing over wold and lea	N3
Smote once more through him keen as fire that smote	L3
Rang once more through him one reverberate note	L3
That faded as he turned again and went	L3
Fulfilled by strenuous joy with strong content	L3
To take his last delight of labour done	L3
That yet should be beholden of the sun	L3
Or ever give man comfort of his hand	L3
	-
Beside a wood's edge in the broken land	L3
An hour at wait the twain together stood	L3
Till swift between the moorside and the wood	L3
Flashed the spears forward of the coming train	L3
And seeing beside the strong chief spoiler's rein	L3
His wan love riding prisoner in the crew	L3
Forth with a cry the young man leapt and flew	L3
Right on that felon sudden as a flame	C2
And hard at hand the mightier Tristram came	C2
Bright as the sun and terrible as fire	F
And there had sword and spear their soul's desire	F
And blood that quenched the spear's thirst as it poured	L3
Slaked royally the hunger of the sword	L3
Till the fierce heart of steel could scarce fulfil	L3
Its greed and ravin of insatiate will	L3
For three the fiery spear of Tristram drove	W2
Down ere a point of theirs his harness clove	W2
Or its own sheer mid shaft splintered in twain	L3
And his heart bounded in him and was fain	L3
As fire or wind that takes its fill by night	L3
Of tempest and of triumph so the knight	L3
Rejoiced and ranged among them great of hand	L3
Till seven lay slain upon the heathery sand	L3
Or in the dense breadth of the woodside fern	L3
Nor did his heart not mightier in him burn	L3
Seeing at his hand that young knight fallen and high	W2
The red sword reared again that bade him die	W2
But on the slayer exulting like the flame	C2
Whose foot foreshines the thunder Tristram came	C2
Raging for piteous wrath had made him fire	F
And as a lion's look his face was dire	F
That flashed against his foeman ere the sword	L3
Lightened and wrought the heart's will of its lord	L3
And clove through casque and crown the wrongdoer's head	L3
And right and left about their dark chief dead	L3
Hurtled and hurled those felons to and fro	F
Till as a storm wind scatters leaves and snow	F
His right hand ravening scattered them but one	L3
That fled with sidelong glance athwart the sun	L3
Shot and the shaft flew sure and smote aright	L3
Full in the wound's print of his great first fight	L3
When at his young strength's peril he made free	N3
Cornwall and slew beside its bordering sea	N3
The fair land's foe who yielding up his breath	H2
Yet left him wounded nigh to dark slow death	H2
And hardly with long toil thence he won home	A4
Between the grey moor and the glimmering foam	A4
And halting fared through his own gate and fell	L3
Thirsting for as the sleepless fire of hell	L3
The fire within him of his wound again	L3
Burned and his face was dark as death for pain	L3
And blind the blithe light of his eyes but they	N
Within that watched and wist not of the fray	N
Came forth and cried aloud on him for woe	F
And scarce aloud his thanks fell faint and slow	F
As men reared up the strong man fallen and bore	F
Down the deep hall that looked along the shore	F
And laid him soft abed and sought in vain	L3
If herb or hand of leech might heal his pain	L3
And the white handed Iseult hearkening heard	L3
All and drew nigh and spake no wifely word	L3
But gazed upon him doubtfully with eyes	N3
Clouded and he in kindly knightly wise	N3
Spake with scant breath and smiling Surely this	N3
Is penance for discourteous lips to kiss	N3
And feel the brand burn through them here to lie	W2
And lack the strength here to do more than sigh	W2
And hope not hence for pardon Then she bowed	L3
Her head still silent as a stooping cloud	L3
And laid her lips against his face and he	N3
Felt sink a shadow across him as the sea	N3
Might feel a cloud stoop toward it and his heart	L3
Darkened as one that wastes by sorcerous art	L3
And knows not whence it withers and he turned	L3
Back from her emerald eyes his own and yearned	L3
All night for eyes all golden and the dark	I2
Hung sleepless round him till the loud first lark	I2
Rang record forth once more of darkness done	L3
And all things born took comfort from the sun	L3

Algernon Charles Swinburne

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